


Hitting Every Tree Branch on the Way Down

by pomorama



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, BAMF Women, Blood and Gore, Clan Politics, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Politics, Second Shinobi War, Self-Insert, Senju Clan-centric, Teenagers, Third Shinobi War, Torture, Uzumaki Clan, Women Being Awesome, crap ton of worldbuilding, main character gives canon the middle finger, send Danzo to the shadow realm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 04:45:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14301105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pomorama/pseuds/pomorama
Summary: In which Tsunade and Nawaki aren’t the 1st’s only grandkids and this changes things. Or, Mito is a terrifying force of nature and anyone who expected her grandkids to be any different really should’ve known better.Pairing TBDCross posted FFN





	Hitting Every Tree Branch on the Way Down

Tsunade was, for once, in a very good mood. Or at least she would be, if her teammates decided to _hurry the fuck up_. They'd been out of the village for 3 months on a recon mission out on the western border of the Land of Fire. The smaller countries buffering the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth had started creating their own shinobi villages and needed to be watched closely in case they became large enough to become a threat, or allied themselves with Suna or Iwa.

They'd been gone 3 months and now home and relaxation was just within reach, if Jiraiya and Orochimaru would stop fighting for _two damn minutes_. They should've been back hours ago but no, those idiots had to stop and beat each other senseless every 5 steps. Tsunade grit her teeth and stomped ahead of the idiots. She was _so close_ to home; an actual bed, a hot bath, her aunt's cooking… she could practically smell it. And her family, kami she missed them.

She had missed Nawaki's birthday while they were in Keigaku, a backwater village near the Kusa border. He was already six, in a few months he would be starting at the Academy. She just wanted to smother him in blankets and lock him in the compound, away from all the bloodshed of shinobi life. She wondered how much taller he'd be now, the brat had been growing like a weed. She missed her new cousin Kimie as well, Tsunade hadn't seen her since she'd been born.

Her heart clenched, ' _At least I was there for that.'_

Her Aunt Umeko had been a good shinobi once. A skilled chunin on her way to jonin when she ran into a team of Suna saboteurs in the First Shinobi War. Umeko had lost two teammates that day, and Suna’s poisons had ended her career for good. She was put in the Chunin Reserves, but the clincher was the poisons had rendered her lungs so weak it was tremendously difficult to have children.

Tsunade was only 17 but she was already being heralded as a medical prodigy. When Aunt Umeko announced her final pregnancy, Tsunade had demanded that she be included on the medical team. She refused to be absent for it. After 28 hours of grueling labor- blood, tears, and panic when her cousin refused to breath- Senju Kimie was born. Everyone in the clan had wept that day. Little Kimie was already turning into the clan darling. Tsunade could already see everyone spoiling her rotten, herself included. She wondered how big she'd grown since she'd left the village. She must be nearly 5 months old by now. 

"Say that to my face you snake-bastard!" Jiraiya yelled, throwing a punch at Orochimaru's face, only to meet air.

"I just did, or is your hearing just as bad as everything else about you?" he sneered. Jiraiya fumed and went to punch him again.

"IF YOU TWO DON'T _SHUT UP_ AND KEEP WALKING I SWEAR I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR ENTRAILS AND STRANGLE YOU WITH THEM!" Tsunade screeched, the ground cracking beneath her. Jiraiya and Orochimaru shook in fear.

"Y-Yes Tsunade-chan/san."

Tsunade huffed and stomped off leaving two terrified jonin behind her.

"What's her problem?" Jiraiya stage-whispered.

"I can hear you Jiraiya!" 

"Then answer the question!" he hollered back, then ducked the torso sized boulder Tsunade chucked at his head.

 "Wow, feeling suicidal today Jiraiya? Tsunade-san is eager to be home and see her family."

"Ohhh" Jiraiya drawled. The metaphorical lightbulb went off. "Doesn't she have a new baby cousin or something?" Orochimaru nodded.

"From what I've heard, yes."

"Hmmm" Jiraiya tapped his chin. He had that look on his face he got whenever he had a particularly stupid idea. "Hey Tsunade!" he called out.

"What?" she snapped at him.

"Can we meet this new cousin of yours?" he asked. Tsunade turned around dumbfounded. Orochimaru was looking at Jiraiya as well with a mixed expression of horror and bafflement.

 "You want to what? Why?" she asked.

 "Well," Jiraiya began, "we've met Nawaki already, and everyone else in your immediate family. Why _not_ meet this one?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but she couldn't figure out what he wanted out of this. "I guess so," she started slowly "but I don't see why you care." 

Jiraiya grinned "Well we're a team right? That's like a mini-family, so we should know everyone's actual family because they're like extended family ya know? Plus it's our jobs as super cool jonins to train the next generation right? Maybe one of us will have what's-their-name on our genin teams."

Both looked at him, stunned. Jiraiya had actually made sense and somehow the world wasn’t ending.

"Her name's Kimie, and I guess that makes a weird amount of sense. Do you want to come too?" she directed the last part to Orochimaru.

' _No not really'_ he thought to himself but out loud replied "I don't see any reason not to."

If he didn't, Tsunade would get insulted, and if she got insulted she'd get violent and it's been three months he just wanted to barricade himself in his labs but he couldn't do that if Tsunade drop-kicked him into the hospital for sort-of insulting her baby cousin. ' _You can live with a few more hours with them.'_ he tried telling himself. 'I _t's only a few hours.'_

"That settles it then!" Jiraiya shouted. "Next stop, the Senju clan compound!" He sprinted past Tsunade towards the village.

"Wha- Jiraiya wait up!" Tsunade yelled as she chased after him, leaving Orochimaru no choice but to follow. Sometimes he really hated his teammates.

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

"I’m back!" Tsunade called out as she entered main house.

 "Welcome back Tsunade-hime" two of the servants greeted her, bowing.

"Do you know where Aunt Umeko and Kimie are?" she asked them as she handed one her traveling bag. Behind her Jiraiya did the same but Orochimaru waved them off. He didn't want them accidently breaking anything.

"Umeko-sama is with Kimie-hime in the south garden."

"Great. Come on guys let's go." she said. The boys followed her through the house, with Jiraiya gaping at everything.

"I still can't get over how big your place is Tsunade."

"Mmhmm" 

"And that your grandfather really built this himself."

"Did you think he grew the house out of the ground?" Jiraiya's eyes went wide.

"He could do that!?"

Tsunade face-palmed "No genius." Jiraiya looked crushed. Orochimaru snickered into his sleeve. Honestly why did she put up with them?

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

Something was going to happen today. Kimie didn't know how, but she could feel it. When she'd woken up that morning, she could a feel a tension for lack of a better word in the air. Was this some early form of chakra awareness? Because she hadn't figured out what chakra even _was_ yet. She thought it was supposed to be this bubbling mass of energy in the pit of her stomach but so far she couldn't feel anything. Nada. Zip.

Which made her panic because a Senju with no chakra? The First's granddaughter no less? That was a death sentence plain and simple. She'd be kidnapped in a heartbeat and granddaughter or not, if she had no chakra then she wasn't an asset and she held no delusions that Konoha would go to great lengths to rescue her. Not if it put actual, _valuable_ , ninja on the line. So she really needed to figure out this whole chakra thing and fast. But it was so _frustrating_. Being a baby _sucked_. She couldn't talk or walk or feed herself and ugh diapers. Needless to say she hadn't been a very cooperative baby the past few weeks.

Nawaki had started the Academy and it only reminded her of where she was and what she would need to learn to survive and protect everyone. She loved her new family, with all of her distant aunts, uncles and cousins- even if they tended to kiss-up to mom and Aunt Natsuko. She had finally met her father, Daiki, and Uncle Itama too. Both had been out on border patrol near Earth Country since she’d been born. From the hushed whispers and nervous looks tossed around, she had a sinking suspicion that war was on the horizon.

When she figured that little tidbit out she'd thrown another tantrum, freaking out her new father who ended up running around the whole mansion trying to find someone who could help calm her down. It was an acceptable punishment for being gone so long she decided, on top of puking on him during their first meeting of course.

 

_Mito couldn't stop laughing, between Daiki's stunned horror, Umeko's panic, Natsuko's groan of resignation and Kimie's cheeky "I'm innocent I don't know what your talking about" grin- oh yes she'd seen right through that- she ended up doubled over clutching her aching side. When she was handed Kimie after she'd been cleaned up and Daiki had run off to change, Mito looked down at her youngest grandchild and smirked._

" _I know exactly what you did young lady." Kimie unashamedly looked the picture of innocence. Big round eyes and her head tilted in an unspoken question, oh her granddaughter was good._

" _He deserved it though, the least he could have done was send a letter." Aha! There it was. Now Kimie was smirking, glowing in her grandmother's approval._ " _Next time, you should get him alone and then start crying." she said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes, because Mito was still at heart an Uzumaki and Uzumakis loved pranks. Kimie smiled up at her grandmother and clapped her hands cheerfully._

 

Kimie was starting to freak out. She had been on edge all day, that _something_ skirting on the edge of her senses. It didn't feel bad per se, but she _knew_ something was going to happen today. The more normal the day went on, the more paranoid she became.

After lunch- thank god she was on bottles now- her mother took her out to the gardens behind the manor. They had a favorite spot beneath a peach tree that overlooked a koi pond. Kimie loved to dip her hands in the water and startle the koi. Better, if she stayed still long enough, they would swim up and investigate, nibbling on her chubby fingers. Umeko found it hilarious that her daughter could be perfectly still one minute, and trying to wreak havoc the next. She gave a poor maid a panic attack when she managed to crawl her way into a cabinet and fall asleep for three hours. She'd also terrified Daiki when she almost rolled off the back porch. Twice. She was a natural little troublemaker. Umeko, like her mother-in-law, suspected Kimie was pranking her father on purpose. Most of the clan did actually. They had a running bet on how long it would take Daiki to catch on. She had 20,000 yen riding on him staying oblivious until Kimie could talk. Right now though, Umeko was content to drink her tea and watch her daughter terrorize the koi while her husband suffered through a clan meeting.

"Aunt Umeko I'm home!" Tsunade called out from the house, startling Kimie. Umeko lunged and caught her by the scruff of her kimono before she fell into the pond, all without spilling a drop of tea.

' _That kind of composure is just unfair'_ Kimie grumbled to herself. She turned to find out who had the audacity to startle her into the pond, when she found herself plucked up and smothered in a hug.

"Look at you! You've grown so big Kimi-chan!" Kimie looked up and burst into a gummy smile. Tsunade was here at last. She made grabby motions with her hands and Tsunade grinned and lifted her closer so she could clumsily pat Tsunade's face and rub their noses together.

 Tsunade had been one of her favorite characters. How could she not love a mountain-breaking, fear-inspiring badass? She hadn't agreed with Tsunade's decision to leave the Leaf, but she respected her strength and her attempts to reconnect with Jiraiya and treat Naruto like an annoying but lovable grandson. And now she was her cousin. Tsunade _freaking_ Senju was her cousin. And she finally got to meet her! Today could not get any better.

"Well isn't she a cute little ankle-biter." Scratch that. It got better. There, peering over Tsunade's shoulder and poking her cheek, was Jiraiya. Tsunade slapped his hand away.

"Quit poking her." she snapped.

"What? Look at those cheeks! They demand to be squished." he protested. Kimie giggled and reached out to him. Jiraiya grinned back. "See? She gets it. Now come here you little pudgeball." he said as he snatched her up. Tsunade pouted and crossed her arms, how dare he steal her cousin.

Kimie yanked on his hair in retaliation, _‘I’m not a pudgeball thank you, I just haven’t outgrown my baby fat yet_.’ Jiraiya grinned and lifted her above his head. Kimie squealed happily and wiggled in his grip.

 "Jiraiya I swear if you drop her I'll punch you through a tree or five." Tsunade growled at him. Jiraiya kept lifting her up and down, blowing raspberries on her tummy when she came back down. Kimie squealed in delight.

"Calm down Tsunade-chan, she's not going to break. She's gonna be a big strong ninja like her cousin aren't cha Kimi-chan?" Kimie giggled and planted a sloppy kiss on his forehead. She glanced over at Tsunade and inwardly smirked at the flush on her cheeks. ' _Oh yeah, I'm matchmaking the shit out of this.'_ Dan was nice and all, but like hell she was passing up a chance to get Tsunade and Jiraiya together. For a pervert, he was surprisingly good with kids and Tsunade wasn't blind to it. She would deny it to her grave but it was a _tiny_ bit attractive to see him so at ease with her baby cousin. Change her hair to white, and she could easily picture Kimie as his own daughter and well _shit_ that image wasn't going to leave her head anytime soon.

Underneath the tree, Umeko continued to drink her tea and watch with a well-trained eye. Now, she might be mistaken, but she knew that look in her daughter's eyes-it was the same look she gave Daiki before she broke something or wandered off. She was up to something. Then she saw Jiraiya blowing raspberries and Tsunade blush and fidget.

' _Ah,’_ she thought, smiling beneath her teacup. ' _Jiraiya-kun's not a bad match for Tsunade. He may have no clan, but he's a skilled shinobi. The Elders will have complaints but if Tsunade sets her mind on something, there's no changing it.'_

"She's not going to amount to anything if you spoil her like that Jiraiya." Kimie, who had been happily inspecting Jiraiya's hair - _there's no way it's that soft, what witchcraft is this-_ immediately stopped what she was doing and looked around to find the speaker.

 ' _Oh you did not just say that. Say that to my face asshole.'_

"She's a baby Orochimaru. She can't even walk yet."

Kimie froze. _'Did he just say…'_ Orochimaru crept up behind Jiraiya and sneered down at her. She stared at him horrified. 

' _Holy shit that's Orochimaru. No nononononononono!’_ she screamed at the top of her lungs and yanked on Jiraiya's hair. ' _Get me out of here now!’_ Both boys were taken aback by the sheer volume and pitch she was achieving, Orochimaru choosing to duck away covering his ears and poor Jiraiya holding her at arm's length.

Tsunade ran over and snatched her from his arms, trying to comfort her before surrendering her to her aunt. Umeko cooed and stroked Kimie's hair trying to calm her down but she only grabbed her mother's kimono in a vice grip and sobbed. She didn't want to be anywhere near that traitorous snake.

Seeing no end to Kimie's tantrum, Umeko excused them both, wishing Jiraiya and Orochimaru a good day and assuring Tsunade she'd see her at dinner. She went back into the house and went to the only place that always cheered her little girl up- Mito-sama's personal study. She didn't need to knock, Mito was already there at the door, having heard Kimie's cries from the garden. 

"Bring her here." she said, gesturing for Kimie. Umeko handed her to her mother-in-law and followed her into the study. She poured some tea for Mito and herself while Mito tried to calm Kimie down.

"Now what has got her so upset this time?" she asked with a knowing look. Kimie wasn’t known for crying without reason- she was surprisingly well behaved in that regard. It was one of several traits that pointed to her granddaughter being smarter than she appeared. She only cried when adults were arguing or one of her cousins was bullying another. Even if it didn't involve her- _especially_ if it didn't involve her. Kimie had a nasty habit of punishing the cousins that picked on her in childish jealousy by wandering off, getting her 'babysitters' into trouble when Daiki, Umeko or heaven forbid Natsuko realized they'd lost her. Or by throwing mud or smashed food in their hair when no one was looking. But if she saw one of her cousins getting picked on by another, she would burst into tears, drawing any nearby adult until she would point at the offending group. After the first few times, the adults started realizing that Kimie was sounding the alarm on behalf of one of her more timid cousins. Fortunately, only her older cousins seemed to have figure this out as well, and were (unfortunately) more discreet in their bullying. They knew not to try anything in Kimie's presence, although that was surprisingly difficult with how often she escaped and wandered. She would be a true terror once she started walking.

So what had set her off this time?

"I'm not sure Okaa-sama. Tsunade is back and she brought her teammates with her." she paused and thought. "She was fine with Tsunade and adored Jiraiya but when Orochimaru approached her she started screaming." Mito raise a manicured brow and looked down at her granddaughter thoughtfully. 

Mito, like many Uzumaki, was a skilled sensor-nin. She was so skilled that she could detect a person's emotions through their chakra. Neither of her sons or elder grandchildren had shown any signs of inheriting this particular talent, although Itama and Tsunade were both decent sensors in their own right. Kimie had shown signs of basic sensing as well, she was too good at finding her troublemaking cousins to be anything else, but this might be more. Mito narrowed her eyes in thought. _If_ Kimie had inherited her sensing ability, she doubted it was mature enough yet to distinguish emotions nor was Kimie herself mature enough to understand what she was perceiving. What was most likely was that Kimie had developed a… character sense of sorts. She wasn't able to distinguish or understand individual emotions, but she had good sense if a person had good/bad intentions.

If she was correct in her assessment of Kimie's _possible_ skills, this didn't bode well for Orochimaru. There had always been something… off about him. But it was all speculation at this point, Kimie hadn't even shown signs of a developed chakra network yet. There was some formation, but nothing yet that would guarantee her a career as a ninja. (She was a little concerned, both her children and grandchildren had shown signs by now but she wasn't too worried. Kimie had always gone at her own pace). It might be that her granddaughter simply had good intuition, or just a natural aversion to Orochimaru's admittedly frightening appearance. There were too many variables to make any decisive moves now, but she would be keeping an eye on him. 

While Mito was pondering her possible sensing abilities, Kimie was freaking out.

' _Oh shit oh shit now I've done it. She's onto me. It's all over. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.'_ She just had to react to Orochimaru didn't she? She couldn't just gurgle at him like a normal baby, noooo. Now her grandma was looking at her way too sharply for her comfort. She knew she should've dumbed things down.

"I think Kimie was just stressed by meeting such strong people today." her grandmother finally replied. Her mother raised a brow and gave Mito a questioning look.

"She's met many of the clan already, and more in one day than she's has now."

"Yes," Mito agreed, "but they are clan. Family. We all carry a similar chakra signature that marks us as such. Today she has met two jonin-level shinobi with no relation to us at all. Kimie has not been exposed to such strong shinobi outside of the family before."

Kimie blinked. This was… not where she thought this conversation was going. She was right of course, because even if the compound was crawling with ANBU, they kept their chakra masked so as to not disturb the Senju clan. They all knew they were there of course, but it was an appreciated courtesy nonetheless.

"I have a theory that Kimie may be developing into a sensor-nin."

Umeko _and_ Kimie raised their brows at that.

"I don't know for certain," Mito continued, "Kimie's chakra network is not developed enough, but I do believe she is sensitive enough that the foreign chakras she encountered today startled her. Clearly Orochimaru's more than Jiraiya's but I believe a combination of both is what caused her outburst today."

Umeko opened her mouth only to close it again and ponder. After a moment she asked,

"Then what do you suppose we do?"

"I suggest taking her into the Village." Umeko's brows shot up in surprise and Kimie gaped. Out in the Village? She'd get to explore Konoha!? Mito chuckled at Umeko's reaction.

"In short trips to start. It might do her some good to get accustomed to new chakra signatures. Slowly of course, and I would suggest starting by the Academy. The children, while energetic, shouldn't bother her too much. It's best she get adjusted now, before it becomes a hindrance."

Umeko nodded. That did sound like a good idea. Typically, high ranking clan children didn’t leave their compounds until they were older, they weren't even formally introduced to the other clans until their 4th birthday (a tradition from the Warring States Era, when there was no guarantee a child would live that long), however it wasn't unheard of. If she brought her around town and got her adjusted before she turned 1, it shouldn't be an issue.

Kimie liked this plan. A lot. She was dying to get out more. Sure, she hadn't explored all of the compound yet but she had the feeling that she'd have ample opportunities later. She never saw any kids below Academy age leave all that often. Here was a chance to get out and see the Village her new grandfather had created. She'd get to meet people outside her clan! She didn't care the reasoning, (although she filed away Mito's comments on her chakra and sensing-ability for later) but she was damn well grateful for it. If obaa-san hadn't already been her favorite family member (besides mom), she was now. After finishing their tea, Umeko gathered up Kimie and returned to their rooms to get ready for dinner. There would be a lot to talk about.

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

“We recognize your concern’s Daiki-sama, but it simply cannot be done.”

“Cannot be done!?” Umeko said aghast, “What do you mean cannot be done? This is incredibly simple. I go out on a few walks with Kimie-chan, with a visible _and_ ANBU escort, two or three times a week. Kimie gets to meet new people, so she can become a ninja one day like _you_ want, and everyone’s happy.”

For over a month Daiki and Umeko had been debating with the elders about letting her go out into the Village. They were talking in _circles._ The elders were concerned with tradition and maintaining the Clan’s image while her parents were fed up with their bureaucracy. Mito had said she needed to meet new people, so she was going to meet new people end of story..

It really should’ve been simple. With Itama out of the village on a mission, her father was the de facto clan leader (as Mito trusted both her sons to lead well, and much prefered doting on the clan children to governing). However, he was only the de facto leader, a fact the elders were exploiting mercilessly. They decided that “an action so against tradition can only be approved of by the Clan Head. In his absence, it is the Council’s job to preserve and monitor the traditions of the clan.” AKA: “We don’t like this idea and you theoretically have to listen to us when we say no.”

Theoretically.

Everyone knew that they couldn’t really force Daiki not to do anything, especially since Itama would likely side with him. The elders also knew, however, that Umeko was only planning on taking Kimie out until she turned one. This should have convinced them to just back off, but instead the elders decided to dig their feet in and kill time until Kimie was too old to leave the compound, instead of facing the _possible_ political backlash of bending tradition.

Cowards.

Of course Daiki could do whatever he wanted as acting head, but he’d step on a lot of toes, and put Itama in a difficult position when he returned. So here they were, weeks later and still stuck in a verbal tug-of-war, with each side fighting to get the other to break first. Her mother was two seconds away from jumping over the walls with her, elders be damned.

Currently her mother was in a vicious not-quite-shouting match with Elder Genko. Kimie had long since grown bored and was amusing herself with making faces at the elders and searching her father’s kimono for the hidden senbon she knew he had. Her father looked just about as thrilled to be here as she did and was making faces at the elders when no one was looking as well.

“It is against tradition.” Elder Genko said firmly. ‘ _Oh, finally getting angry.’_ Kimie thought with mild interest. She was really starting to dislike these old geezers, family or not.

“And I’m telling you, Mito-sama clearly said this was crucial to Kimie’s development and I won’t let _tradition_ hinder my daughter!” her mother spat. Father and daughter turned back to the conversation concerned. It took a lot to rile Umeko up.

Both women were glaring holes in the other. Elder Genko was rigid, her back impossibly straight and lips pursed. Umeko was leaned forward, knuckles white as she dug into her knees and teeth grinding together. Kimie had never seen her so mad before. The slightest touch would break whatever control she had and send her flying at the elders.

“Kimie-hime,” Elder Magari said, from Genko’s left, “is only a _child_. She will grow fine here in the compound just like every other child. Mito-sama’s suggestion has been taken into consideration, however this council has made its decision, with your daughter's safety in mind.”

“Are you implying,” her father spoke for the first time, face blank, “that the VIllage is unsafe?” he looked every elder in the eye. “That our clansmen are unable to protect us? That the ANBU are incapable?”

“This Village is only two decades old. There are those of us who remember when the Uchiha wanted nothing more than to wipe us out.”

A cold chill swept over the room.

Her father narrowed his eyes. “I too remember, or have _you_ forgotten how my brother and I fought on those very battlefields. Our clans have made peace, this village is proof of that.” He paused for a moment, “Unless you doubt my father’s vision?” The council flinched. It was a low blow to bring up her grandfather.

“I am only concerned with letting the vulnerable Lady Umeko and Honorable Granddaughter out into the Village where someone might do them harm.” _The Uchiha_ was implied.

Kimie seethed. ‘ _How dare he!?!’_  She may have opinions on their standoffishness and attempted coup decades down the line, but the Uchiha now were loyal shinobi and citizens of Konoha who would give their lives to defend it. That this elder had the gall to imply that they would stoop to kidnapping or harming an _infant_ was beyond insulting. She glared at him and desperately wished she had found one of her father’s senbon to throw at him.

“Vulnerable _?”_ her mother grit out, rising slowly from the ground. “ _Vulnerable??”_

 _‘Uh-oh,’_ father and daughter thought.

Her mother prowled to the side of the room where the council hung ceremonial weapons. She grasped a naginata and whirled on the council, blade a hair's-breadth away from Elder Magari’s face.

“Do not assume for a second that just because I’m retired from active duty I’m in any way _vulnerable”_ she spat at them. “I can defend myself and my daughter just fine. There will be escorts as well or are you doubting our clansmen? The fact that you would accuse our Village of attacking an infant is deplorable. You are all pathetic.”

She glared at every elder in that room, even those who had supported her because she knew that blood feuds were hard to overcome.

“Your grudge and animosity towards the Uchiha threaten our alliance with them and the very peace of our Village” her father said firmly, drawing their attention. “We must extend our hand first if we are to achieve lasting peace. My wife and daughter will visit the Village, both for Kimie’s development and to foster relationships with the Village.”

The room fell silent. Some looked like they wanted to argue further but were stopped by her father’s glare and the blade dangling in front of them.

“You may bring your complaints to Itama when he returns. Dismissed.”

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

Umeko was one of those people who believed that to conquer a fear, you must understand it better than it can understand you. Poison had stripped away her career and nearly her family, so Umeko became Konoha’s Poison Master.

She had a garden behind the main house that spanned acres of forest, garden plots, three greenhouses and a small lab, all filled with all manner of poisonous flora and fauna. In her lab she had a full chemistry station, closets stocked with dried ingredients and several aquariums/terrariums filled with poisonous fish, amphibians and reptiles. There was no place more deadly in Konoha save the Forest of Death (where she frequently took day trips to gather samples). Most of the clan save the medics were banned from here, for their own protection.

Whenever Umeko wasn’t looking after for her daughter, she could be found tending to her garden or concocting new poisons and antidotes in her lab. She catalogued all of her findings and submitted them to the Research & Development Division. For the most part she only did research but occasionally a chunin from R&D would come to the compound with a mission for her. These B-ranks were usually custom poisons for an ANBU squad or, rarely, for a client directly. About a dozen or so of her wares were restricted for ANBU use only, but the more diluted ones she sold in the clan market.  Shinobi could also make personal requests, but few in Konoha were comfortable enough with poisons to mess around with her more potent mixes.

On days like today that were particularly frustrating or stressful, her garden became her refuge. The council had been dragging their feet for weeks through pointless arguments but today had finally driven her over the edge. She didn’t regret threatening the elders - far from it- but now that she was elbow deep digging out hemlock roots she realised she may have set them back even further.

She groaned as she lifted the basket of roots and carried them over to the prepping table.

 _'I don’t know if I can take another month of this’_ she thought to herself. She decided to bury herself in work to ward off unpleasant thoughts- like poisoning the elders. That was generally frowned upon.

At the edge of the garden there was a peach tree and a koi pond, and just like every other time mom went on a stress-work rampage, father and daughter were offering their silent support by staying close by but out of her way. Today, father-daughter time was teaching Kimie the finer points of Senju tradition: gambling. Oh no, gambling wasn’t just Hashirama and Tsunade’s hobby, it was a clan tradition. From birth they were raised on the fine arts of card games, puzzles and most importantly, how to place a good bet. Tsunade might have terrible luck, but most of the clan were average. They competed good naturedly with each other over the monthly Clan dinners and many an extra paycheck had been won off teammates or clients while on missions.

Today Kimie was learning the Senju specialty: hanafuda. Hanafuda was a card game where players matched cards from their hand and a pool to build sets, called yaku. Two to six players could play at a time, individually or in teams. Games were 12 rounds long, with the person scoring the highest number of total points winning. As a twist, for 2-player matches, if a person completes a set before their cards run out, and thinks they can make another, they can call ‘koi-koi’ and continue playing. However if their opponent completes a set before them, their opponent earns double points!

Kimie had learned to play hanafuda in her past life, but had never been very good at it. She struggled to remember set combinations, just like in poker. Now though she was determined to succeed, if only because it was a clan bonding activity (and not because she was competitive or anything).

“Now see Kimi-chan, I can either play the clover or the peony, but because I already have the other two blue ribbons, I’m going to play my peony so I can complete my Blue Ribbons yaku.” her father said before he placed the red flowered card in front of him and completed his set. She wasn’t sure if he knew she could understand him or was just narrating out loud in hopes that something stuck, but she alternated listening raptly and chewing on the cards just to be safe. Daiki didn’t seem to mind the soggy cards, but he did swap out the willow card she’d been gnawing with a rubber chew ring. She didn’t mind, the chew ring was better. She’d just begun teething and it _hurt_. A lot. This whole ‘growing up again’ thing was starting to suck.

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

Today was going to be a great day.

 The council had apparently learned their lesson during the last meeting (or at least were smart enough to pull a strategic retreat) and had finally agreed to let Kimie go out in the village. Her mother threatening them with a naginata seemed to have left an impression.

It was a warm September day, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and Kimie was practically vibrating with excitement. For this momentous day her mother had decided to doll her up in a sleeveless teal romper with dark pink hibiscus and tropical fish on it and a matching teal hair bow.

Kimie thought she looked very cute when her mother held her in front of the mirror. Not only was the romper cute (it was) but she finally got a chance to get a good look at herself. She took after her father and grandmother mostly, she had Daiki’s reddish hair and Mito’s dark blue eyes, but she had her mother’s eye shape. She still had too much baby fat to tell if she had her mother’s cheekbones though.

Her mother put her in a cloth sling, grabbed her baby bag and walked to the front door where Nawaki was waiting for them. 

“Hurry up! I’m gonna be late for school!” he said, hopping impatiently.

Her mother chuckled “We’re coming, we’re coming. Kimi-chan was admiring herself in the mirror.”

Kimie giggled and waved at her cousin, who tickled her feet for making him late. Today they would be walking Nawaki to school, then heading to the park near the Academy. As they left the compound Kimie could see two clansmen trailing at a distance behind them and a rustle in the trees where she assumed the ANBU were hiding. Personally she felt it was a little overkill for so many bodyguards but the elders had brought up a disturbing point; the Village was only twenty-four years old and many of its citizens remembered and/or had fought in the many wars before. There may be peace, but old grudges die hard. Not that she felt unsafe in her village. Or that she’d every admit to agreeing with the old geezers.

Kimie shook her head of negative thoughts, and focused on absorbing as much of her surroundings as possible. 

The Senju Clan Compound was nestled in the northwestern edge of Konoha, surrounded by plentiful forests and away from most of the hustle and bustle. It gave them some privacy and room to expand as necessary. Unlike the other clans, the Senju’s were jacks-of-all-trades, so their compound layout was sporadic at best. For instance, Uncle Tetsuji’s blacksmith shop was wedged next to Uncle Kakuji’s tannery but just two doors down from a pub/cobbler’s shop, and Cousin Kichiyo’s training ground was triple the size of any other in the compound, for her ninjutsu and projectiles practice, and far enough away from anyone’s homes. There was also the giant frankenstein apartment complex the younger Senju lived in.

On their way into the village they passed the Akimichi compound and a few children also on their way to school. Nawaki ran up to them and started chatting animatedly while Umeko struck up a conversation with the other mothers.

“Umeko-sama, what a pleasant surprise!” said one of the Akimichi women with ginger hair.

“We haven’t seen you around the village lately.” said another with short black hair.

“Well of course we wouldn’t she just had a baby,” a third chided the others.

“Is this the little dear? Oh she’s just adorable.” the first cooed as she peered down at Kimie. She giggled and reached out to her. The other women looked thoughtful for a moment.

“She’s a little young to be leaving the compound isn’t she?” the third, and leader apparently, asked carefully. She didn’t want to offend Umeko, but she was curious.

“They do, but Kimi-chan is very fond of Nawaki and she’s been throwing fits now that he’s started the Academy. We’re hoping that if she sees him to go school she’ll get used to him leaving.” her mother lied flawlessly.

On cue Kimie squirmed and looked around for Nawaki before settling down again. The Akimichi mothers melted at the cute little display. While the women continued to chat, Kimie took in her first look at Konoha.

The Village was smaller than in Naruto’s time, but it was growing fast. Shops and restaurants lined the streets and they passed at least three apartment buildings under construction. Interestingly enough the name “Village Hidden in the Leaves” was more fitting than she’d thought. Instead of fighting the forest the villagers tried to build around it whenever possible. All of the clan compounds had forests of their own, and shopping and residential areas seemed to be centered around a giant tree or two. It wasn’t unusual to see houses built around giant tree trunks or benches made out of their roots.

Civilians ambled around, doing their morning shopping while shinobi traveled by roof. At the edge of the Akimichi lands was a restaurant district and the smell of fresh food filled the streets. The Akimichis stopped briefly at a few shops to stock up on even more snacks while Nawaki chattered on. Seriously what was wrong him he has _teeth_ why wasn’t he eating anything? She was never taking teeth for granted again.

Kimie was stunned once they reached the school. There were so many kids! Of course there had to be more than one class per year, but it looked like there were hundreds running around the schoolyard. The school was shaped sort of like a giant F, with a main wing and two smaller ones branching off. It was two stories tall and she could see at least one training field from the gate but there had to be more.

What really blew her mind though, were the three faces carved onto the cliff face in front of them. Kimie gaped, drawings really didn’t do them justice. They were massive! It must’ve taken weeks to carve out just one of the Hokage’s faces. She looked to the left and got her first glimpse of her grandfather.

_‘Wow’_

She knew, of course, who her grandfather was. Grandma told stories about him all the time, but to see his face carved into a mountain really drove home that her grandpa wasn’t just ‘Hashirama who fell into the pond playing hide-and-seek with Tsunade,’ but also Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage. The ‘God of Shinobi’ who united the warring clans and created a prosperous village out of nothing. Who’s waves in history created peace in all of the Five Nations. That was also who her grandfather was, and suddenly she felt very small.

She had to live up to that! Not only did she have to make the rest of her family proud, she had to live up to the impossible reputation her grandfather had left behind. Did Tsunade feel like this? Did Nawaki? Was he starting to feel this pressure, now that he was starting school. Did his teachers gossip between classes, comparing him to grandfather? Had her father and uncle felt this too? Did they _still_ feel it? No one could use the Mokuton either, not that she knew of. Grandpa’s famed bloodline that _no one inherited._ Did everyone before her have to look up at the Elders and the Council and see their disappointment.

It was suffocating, this kind of pressure. What chance did she - this outsider- have to live up to those expectations. She didn’t know how to fight! What chance did she ever think she had of changing anything? How could she-

“Hey Nawaki! Over here!” a group of children called out from the schoolyard.

“Hey guys!” he shouted. He started running over but stopped short after a few steps. He ran back to Umeko and hugged her around the knees.

“Bye Aunt Umeko!” he chirped. She leaned down to give him a peck on the forehead, and held Kimie out so he could reach her. 

“Bye Kimi-chan!” he said and pecked her on the cheek. His smile glowed, and Kimie felt herself smile back. Nawaki waved once more before running off into the sea of ninjas-in-training.

‘O _ne step at a time’_ she told herself. ‘ _Just one step at a time.’_

She didn’t know how to fight, but she would learn. She would learn and keep learning everything she could until she could protect everyone. Nawaki’s bright smile. The fond looks Aunt Natsuko and Uncle Itama would give each other in between banter when they thought no one was looking. Her mother humming as she gardened and the pile of woodchips she’d play in as her father carved her a new toy. The smell of ink on her grandmother’s hands and the sound of cousins running around the compound. Tsunade's cries of outrage at losing another game and Jiraiya’s boisterous laugh. She would protect all of that.   

She might never reach her grandfather’s pedestal, but she didn’t have to. She wasn’t trying to be Senju Hashirama. She was Senju Kimie, and she was going to pave her own way.   

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

The secret about playgrounds is that the smaller you are, the cooler they become. Case in point: Kimie was staring up at standard slide like it was an untamed roller coaster because ‘ _wow that thing is tall’._ Not really, but when you’re barely two feet tall, everything’s big.  

‘ _Oooh oooh!! I wanna slide, I wanna slide!’_ she thought as she squirmed and reached out towards the slide.

Her mother laughed. “Of course you want to ride down the slide first,” but climbed up the slide anyway.

At the top she picked Kimie out of the sling and set her down in her lap before pushing off.

“Yeeeeeee!!” Kimie cried as they sped down. She patted her mom’s knees impatiently.

_‘Again! Again!’_

They went down the slide a few more times before Kimie spotted the sandbox across the playground. Her eyes lit up and she pointed wildly at it.

‘ _Sand!’_

“Alright, let’s go.” Her mother said as she scooped her up and walked over to the sandbox.

She placed Kimie down and she immediately started scooping up sand and wiggling her toes around happily. The forests were beautiful, really, but the beach would always be her home. She might be miles away now, but here in this little playground was a piece of it.

‘ _I wonder if I can go visit Wave or something’_ she thought absently. _‘Or one of those resort nations, Tea or something?’_ She vaguely recalled a few smaller countries near the coast being popular for their resorts. Or something like that. Jiraiya was always bragging about their brothels before Tsunade would smack him upside the head for talking about “stuff like that” in front of the baby.

‘I  _bet I can get dad to go with me. He really needs a break.’_ She paused. ‘ _As long as we don’t go to war anytime soon,’_ she thought grimly.

Kimie glared at the mound of sand that was _supposed_ to be a mighty castle and smashed it with a pudgy hand, determined to start over and get it right.

“Here Kimi-chan” her mother said, sitting down and handing her a bucket of water. Kimie stared at it bewildered. There was no way the bucket had fit in her baby bag. She glared suspiciously at the trees.

‘ _I’m onto you ANBU.’_ she thought, but took the bucket gleefully and dumped it all over the sandbox.

She accidently splashed the toddler next to her but she babbled an apology and offered a handful of wet sand as a peace offering. The other girl smiled, adding it to her sand sculpture, and offered a dandelion flower in return 

‘ _Aha! The perfect flag.’_ She thought happily. That was going right on top of her fortress.

She started mashing together the wet sand into mounds and flattening them out the best she could into wobbly walls. She was trying to recreate the old fortress from the painting in Grandma’s room but it was hard to make squares with only her hands. She ran out of sand after finishing the second story, so she pulled out her best puppy dogs eyes and looked up at her mother. Of course the puppy-dog eyes did nothing and her mother laughed at her attempt but she got up to refill the bucket all the same.

Kimie went back to smoothing out the sides of her fortress when _something_ barrelled into her like a sack of bricks and pushed her into her sandcastle. Dazed, she pushed herself out of the sand and stared bewildered at the four-year old boy laying in front of her, scratching his head.

She stared down at her ruined fortress. She looked up at the boy. Down, up, down, up.

“Watch it!” The brat yelled at her, standing up again.

Tears started to well in her eyes. She knew better than to let this bother her. She _knew_ , but she was so _mad_ she worked so hard on it and this, this _brat_ comes barrelling into her and it hurt and now her fortress was _ruined!_ Something bubbled deep inside her. The angrier she got, the worse the bubbling became until it just had to come out. In a fit of rage Kimie sat up and **_pushed_** the brat away with all of her might, grabbing that bubbling something and shoving it out through her hands. The boy went toppling out of the sandbox and burst into tears. Kimie started to cry as well, which drew their mothers over. 

Her mother snatched her up and started cooing and rocking her, checking her over for any cuts or bruises. The other mother did the same. 

“What happened?” she asked him. The boy sniffled and wiped at his snot with his sleeve.

“She pushed me!” he cried. The other mother looked over at Kimie and Umeko disbelievingly. 

“I don’t think a baby pushed you over sweetie. I think you just tripped.” she said.

“She tripped me then she pushed me!” he cried, stomping his feet.

“Nuh-uh!” the other girl yelled from the sandbox. “He ran her over ‘n smash her sandcastle! I saw it!”

“Did you run into her?” his mother asked sharply. 

“She was in the way!” he cried, face turning red now.

“She’s just a baby!” his mother scolded. “You shouldn’t have been running near the sandbox anyway.” She turned to Umeko “I’m so sorry for my son. Is your daughter ok?”

At this point Kimie’s sobs had quieted down to sniffles. Her mother gave a strained smile.

“It’s alright, my daughter’s fine. She’s been in worse scrapes with her cousins before.”

“Are you sure?” the other mother asked worriedly. The boy started to scream and stomp his feet in a tantrum. His mother tugged on his arm sharply. “That’s enough! You and I are going home right now,” she said, and started tugging him along. “Again I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do?”

Umeko shook her head. Honestly she just wanted the woman and her screaming child gone. Once the pair had left Umeko sat down on a nearby bench and started a more careful once-over of her whimpering daughter .

“Where does it hurt sweetheart?” she asked, brushing away her tears with a handkerchief. Kimie sniffled and rubbed the back of her head. Her mother gently prodded there and found a swelling bump.

“Oh dear, that must’ve hurt. Don’t worry we’ll go right home and Cousin Tali can fix that right up.” she said. “Does anything else hurt?”

Kimie nodded and held out her hands. They’d been throbbing ever since she’d pushed the boy over. Both were surprised to find red burns all over her palms. Her mother’s eyes widened in panic and she grasped Kimie’s tiny hands. She gently ran a finger down her left palm but stopped when Kimie whimpered in pain. Umeko shot up, grabbed the baby bag and started running out of the playground. 

“Boar!” she called out. At once an ANBU appeared next to her. “Go to the compound and tell Mito-sama Kimie’s been hurt and that we’re headed to the hospital. Be sure to make it clear it wasn’t attack, just an accident.” She instructed. The ANBU nodded and darted off.

Umeko raced across the rooftops of Konoha until she skidded through the front door of Konoha’s Hospital. She pulled a loose strand of hair behind her ear and tried to look less frazzled than she felt. She briskly walked to the front desk and tapped twice to get the receptionist’s attention.

“Umeko-sama!” the poor girl spluttered. “W-what can I do for you?”

“I need to see a pediatrician.” she said forced-calmly. Only then did the receptionist notice the whimpering Kimie.

“Of course! I’ll get one right away! Please take a seat” she replied before darting down the hallway.

Umeko continued to stand at the desk, tapping her finger anxiously on the desk and rocking Kimie softly in her other arm. One minute turned to two, than three. Suddenly the receptionist burst into the lobby, with a startled nurse at her heels.

“Right-huff-this way-huff- Umeko-sama” she wheezed out, gesturing to the nurse.

Umeko briskly followed the nurse down the halls to a brightly lit room. The nurse gestured for her to take a seat.

“Doctor Kino will be here in a moment. Could I have the child’s name so I can find their records?” she asked politely.

“Senju Kimie” her mother replied, trying not to glare at the nurse.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” the nurse said smiling, before walking out of the room.

Her mother scowled and tapped her foot impatiently. A few minutes later a woman, probably in her early 30s with brown hair in a tight bun and wearing the standard white medic-nin robes walked in. 

“Hello Umeko-sama, what seems to be the problem here?” she asked calmly.

“There was an accident at the park. A young boy wasn’t watching where he was going and ran into Kimie and knocked her over. Kimie got mad and pushed him over. She has a bump on her head but more worryingly are the burns on her hands. I can’t figure out where they came from.” Her mother explained.

The medic brought her chair over and gently prodded Kimie’s head.

“Mhmmm, there’s some swelling but nothing that can’t be fixed. Now let’s see those hands.” she said, before gently prying open Kimie’s hand. “Hmmmm” she hummed, gently running her fingers over the burns.

“What, what does that mean?” her mother asked frantically. 

“There’s no need to be alarmed Umeko-sama,” the medic said smiling, “these are just minor chakra burns. It seems Kimie-hime accidently used her chakra to push the boy over. It’s nothing I can’t fix.”

The medic’s hands glowed green as she held them over Kimie’s. There was a tingling sensation but it felt felt… warm. It was odd, but not unpleasant. Like when the fuzzies first start wearing off after you shake your arm awake. It was actually kind of pretty. 

‘ _I wonder if Tsunade can teach me some of this.’_ She thought absently.

In minutes the burns were gone. The medic moved to her head and repeated the process. This time the tingling was a little stronger and echoed down to her toes. She could actually feel the pulses coming from the medic’s hands this time. When she was done Umeko gently inspected her work.

Seeing everything in order, she asked the medic “Do you know how Kimie did that? Is there a way to prevent it?”

The medic shook her head “Unless you want to suppress her chakra, no. I’m surprised by how much chakra she has for one so young but then again that’s to be expected in your family. My only recommendation is to start her on some simple chakra control exercises in a few months, and have Tsunade-sama or another Senju medic keep an eye on her for anymore uncontrolled bursts.”

Umeko nodded and bowed. “Alright. Thank you so much for you help Medic-san.”

“It was no trouble at all. Have a good day Umeko-sama, Kimie-hime.” she said as they left.

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

Kimie was alternating between staring mystified at her magically healed hands and chewing on the rubber kunai in her mouth. Seriously, who the hell thought giving children rubber kunai to chew on was a good idea? If she were an actual baby, what was stopping her from chewing on an _actual_ one? (The fact that she _did_ make a grab for one of her parent’s kunai to teach them this lesson is beside the point). Either ninja were dumber than she thought or really, really self-aware of their stuff. Her parents had been quick to react when they saw her going for the kunai so maybe it was a bit of both.

To be fair, the rubber kunai was really fun to chew on. And throw. It was made of that heavy rubber so it really packed a punch when it hit someone. Not that she ever tried that or anything…

Her family was gathered in the sitting room, chatting and drinking their afternoon tea. Her father and Uncle Itama had called off their clan meeting once they heard Kimie had been hurt and joined in the family bonding. She was sitting in Tsunade’s lap while Nawaki sat next to them and talked about what he learned in school today. Her mother, aunt and grandmother were across the table, talking in hushed whispers until there was a knock on the door. Everyone turned to face the servant bowing at the door.

“I’m sorry to intrude, but Hokage-sama and his Council are here.” he said.

“Bring them in,” her uncle said frowning. The rest of the family exchanged tense looks. It wasn’t uncommon for the Hokage to visit, he had been Tsunade’s teacher, but to come with the small council? Uninvited? It was unprecedented, not to mention rude.  

‘ _Council...council… oh shit.’_ Kimie gnawed nervously at her kunai. ‘ _Danzo. Shit. Way to go ANBU, way to be subtle.’_

The door slide open again to reveal the Hokage and the Council members. They were younger than she expected, free of any wrinkles or liver spots and only a few grey hairs. Danzo was still missing an eye, and his arm was still bandaged up but he moved gracefully and that terrified Kimie. This was _not_ a man she wanted to mess with anytime soon.

“Hokage-sama, Esteemed Councilmen, what a surprise.” Her uncle said calmly. Hokage-sama, not Hiruzen-sama, everyone noted.

“Yes, to what do we owe this visit?” Her aunt followed with a tight smile. Being polite was so hard sometimes. The Hokage had the good grace to look embarrassed.

“I received word that Kimie-chan was hurt today, and I wanted to make sure everything was alright. The Council overheard and wanted to visit as well.” He answered sheepishly.

“Yes, we wanted to be sure Kimie-hime was unharmed.” Councilwoman Utatane said. Councilman Mitokado nodded and Danzo remained silent.

Kimie’s eye twitched. There was that stupid -hime again. It had been annoying before, but after her revelation this morning it was downright aggravating. Not only was it a constant reminder of her grandfather- she loved him, really, but the _pressure-_ it was a damn mouthful. Honestly, how could people say ‘Kimie-hime’ over and over again? It was ridiculous. If she heard Kimie-hime one more time, she was going to throw a kunai at someone.

The Hokage walked over and knelt down in front of Tsunade and Kimie.

He smiled, “Hello Kimie-chan, I believe this is the first time we’ve met.”

Kimie looked at him. Even now he had this warm, grandfatherly feel (even if he wasn’t old yet) with crows feet already forming by his eyes. She nodded and reached out to pat his face. He might make questionable decisions down the line, like keeping Danzo in power, but she decided for now that he really wasn’t that bad. He laughed and picked her up, bouncing her on his knee.

“She seems to be in great spirit,” he said. The other councilmen had joined him in inspecting her. Her smile turned to a glare as she looked at each of them.

‘ _No, no smiles for you. You have to_ earn _them.’_ she thought. She glared especially hard at Danzo, who didn’t bat an eye. She scowled, ‘ _Fear me you old cyclops!’_ Yet another thing she’d have to figure out.

“May I see her Hokage-sama?” Danzo asked, reaching the non-bandaged hand to her. Kimie started fussing as soon as he went to pass her over.

‘ _No no nooooo. Abort. ABORT!’_ she thought frantically as she held onto Hiruzen’s robes for dear life, to no avail. ‘ _Eww ewww eyeball arm. Ewwwwwww.’_

She started squirming as soon as Hiruzen let go of her but Danzo’s grip was firm. He looked down at her, face blank. She started sweating, why was he staring at her?!?

‘ _Oh god is he onto me? Oh god he’s gonna drag me off to ROOT!’_ She started squirming in earnest now, trying to escape.

“It is my understanding that Kimie-hime has quite the chakra reserves.” Danzo said to her parents. Kimie twitched and wished she had her kunai right now.

Her father narrowed his eyes but answered, “Yes, that’s what the medic said.”

“Then allow me to make a suggestion.” _Oh no._ “ROOT would be honored to welcome the Honorable Granddaughter into their ranks. I would personally see to her training. She would become an excellent kunoichi.”

‘ _Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.’_ she chanted.

This was _bad_. Her absolute nightmare. Worst case #3 scenario behind #2: dying a horribly painful death, and #1: watching everyone she cared about die a horribly painful death. She looked at her parents with pure terror, begging them to do something. 

A thud echoed across the room. Everyone looked over to Mito, who had placed down her teacup and was glaring at Danzo. 

“Your offer is appreciated Danzo-kun,” she said, voice like ice and neglecting to address him by rank to show her displeasure, “but Kimie will be trained here with her family.”

She stood up, walked over to Danzo and without a word picked up her granddaughter and sat down again. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and stared at Danzo like he was dirt beneath her sandals. _This_ was the matriarch of the Senju Clan.

Danzo glared at her but wisely kept his mouth shut. He was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He knew a lost battle when he saw one. Instead he decided to get more of his ROOT on the Senju Clan guard. If this child showed any signs of prodigy, he would take her, the wrath of Mito-sama or not. Hiruzen looked at his old friend suspiciously.

“I think we’ve intruded enough for one day.” He said finally, rising to his feet. He ushered the others towards the door. “Thank you for having us,” he said to her family before bowing.

The other elders did the same and left. The door slide shut, unfortunately before a rubber kunai could hit where Danzo’s left shin had been. Mito looked down amused at her scowling granddaughter.

“Nice shot.” Nawaki complimented. “You’ll get him next time.”

Tsunade glared at the door and crossed her arms. “If you don’t I will. What a creep, asking to cart off Kimi-chan to some underground ninja organization. She’s a baby! If he shows his face around here again I’m punching him through a wall.”

Itama gave her a high five. “That’s my girl.”

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

Later that evening, once everyone had retired to bed, Mito sat on her bedroom porch and sipped her tea.

“Falcon.” she said, after a moment of silence. An ANBU kneeled behind her, moonlight glinting on their mask.  

“Get two comrades that you’d trust with your life,” she began. “I want you to start an off-records investigation on the ANBU ranks. Notify the ANBU General if you must but keep this between the four of you. Danzo and his ROOT are beginning to gain too much power. I fear he has infiltrated your ranks for his own purposes. Weed out the ROOT in your ranks, but don’t let them know you’re looking for them. Start with the clan guard, he must have at least one mole here.”

The ANBU had never served her husband, they hadn’t been formed until her brother-in-law became Hokage and they served _only_ the Hokage. However, Mito was still one of the most influential people in Konoha. She had helped her husband lay down the first stone of Konoha. She had built the Village’s defenses herself. She had seen three Hokage take their mantle and if she wanted something done, it would get done. Falcon nodded and disappeared.

Mito took another sip of tea and looked out at the trees gently blowing in the evening breeze.

It was dangerous, to doubt one’s comrades, but she had always trusted her judgement. She had caught countless traitors and spies before, when the clans were still at war. No, something wasn’t right about Danzo, but she would keep things quiet until she could gather enough proof. Until then, she would watch over her family through whatever means necessary.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm super excited to bring this to AO3. To anyone who's seen this on FFN, I've made some revisions and will be updating that soon, this here is the better version. School's been throwing me around but chapter 2 should be coming soon stay tuned. 
> 
> Pomorama


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